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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · fall · sharp · march · mouse · pitcher · rule · hand

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fall — the season
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a music group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. hand — help
  18. rule — government
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. fall — to drop
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com